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Basepaws Report

Epistasis in Cat Coat Genetics
Basepaws ReportCat Genetics
Epistasis in Cat Coat Genetics

Today, we’re decoding one of the mysteries of genetics that relates to your Basepaws DNA report of results. It's called epistasis. When epistasis occurs, the observable expression (phenotype) of a gene—such as one responsible for the color of your kitty's coat—gets modified in some way by a completely different gene that has the ability to mask, suppress, or inhibit how that coat color gene is expressed. Epistasis helps explain why sometimes you may get a ā€œlikely to haveā€ result for a genetic trait in your cat’s Basepaws report that doesn’t quite match up with their physical appearance.

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Genetic Health + Trait Marker Changes to the Basepaws Report
Basepaws ReportCat Genetics
Genetic Health + Trait Marker Changes to the Basepaws Report

From time to time, we update the Basepaws digital report of results for ourĀ Breed + Health Cat DNA Test. Today, we’d like to take a moment to share some details about two recent changes to our report—one for a genetic health marker linked to the common cat heart conditionĀ hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and one for a genetic trait marker associated with theĀ Siamese colorpoint coat pattern.

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Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency: Background, Breeds at Risk, Symptoms, and Treatment
Basepaws ReportCat BreedsCat HealthCat GeneticsCat Diseases
Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency: Background, Breeds at Risk, Symptoms, and Treatment

Pyruvate kinase is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of red blood cells. When mutations in theĀ PKLR geneĀ occur, it reduces the functionality ofĀ  this enzyme and subsequently affects the ability of red blood cells to survive and function properly. Learn about pyruvate kinase deficiency in cats, symptoms and treatment, and the cat breeds that are known to be at a higher risk for this condition.

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